An under-the-radar Seahawks need Brock sees

Throughout the offseason there’s been plenty of focus on the Seattle Seahawks’ need at running back.

NFL Draft: What – and who – Seahawks could get by trading back

The Seahawks lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency and are expected to be without Zach Charbonnet for a chunk of the 2026 season following an ACL injury suffered in the playoffs, leaving an unproven group Kenny McIntosh, George Holani, Emanuel Wilson and others as Seattle’s top options in the backfield as the roster currently stands.

Many expect the Seahawks to bolster their running back room in the upcoming NFL Draft, which begins Thursday.

On top of running back, there’s another need the Seahawks have that former NFL quarterback Brock Huard thinks is flying a bit under the radar.

“In this very short-term window that we’re looking at, yeah, maybe positionally right now running back’s a bigger need. But I think you could make a strong case… that when it comes to just the football life expectancy of any single position room on the Seahawks, that it’s actually the D-line room that needs the most reinforcement over the long term,” Huard said Monday during his Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

The defensive line was one of the strengths of Seattle’s top-ranked scoring defense last season, but many of the impact players up front are in the latter stages of their careers. DeMarcus Lawrence and Jarran Reed are each 33 years old and are the oldest non-kickers on the roster. Leonard Williams isn’t far behind at 31, while Uchenna Nwosu is 29.

Additionally, the Seahawks lost Boye Mafe in free agency and Derick Hall is heading into the final year of his rookie deal.

Huard likes some of the young pieces Seattle has on the D-line like Rylie Mills, but “you need to replenish that room,” he said.

“There’s always going to be veterans (to pick up), as there are in wave three of free agency. There were last year, there are this year, there will be next year,” Huard said. “But as far just like true foundational pieces like your O-line (has), like your receiver room, like your quarterback room, like your linebacker room, like your secondary room, (where) you’ve got the underpinnings there of young foundational pieces, you don’t have that on the defensive line.”

“That room’s going to need some real TLC over this phase of acquisition, the following phase, next year’s phase,” Huard added.

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

Seattle Seahawks NFL Draft coverage

• Why Hasselbeck says Seahawks are in great spot to trade back
• Seattle Seahawks open to trading top pick for bigger draft class
• A player Seahawks could trade for another draft pick
• Brock: How Seahawks can use NFL Draft to make O-line elite
• A full Seahawks mock draft – with a trade and six picks

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